Box-fastener.



W. E. HUME.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

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WALTER E. HUME, OF FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TOMARTIN P. GREENE, ONE-FIFTH T0 MARTIN E. GREENE, AND ONE-FIFTH TO PERCYMoK. BALDWIN, ALL OF ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, AND ONE-FIFTH TO GEORGE I-I.IBEUGHERT, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

Application filed June 15, 1915., Serial No. 34,262.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, WALTER E. HUME, a citizen of the United States,residing in Fairfax county, State of Virginia, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Box-Fasteners, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates generally to box fasteners, and particularlyoneadapted for securing the covers on plain packing boxes designed to beused for packing any c0m modity whose containers are to be returned tooriginal shipper in same box.

The object of the invention is to provide an article of this characterwhich shall be thoroughly effective in attaining the purpose for whichit is designed; which may readily be applied to position and positivelyheld in place against unauthorized removalwithout detection; which willindicate any attempt at having been tampered with; and which shall besimple of construction, easy to manufacture and cheap to produce.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the natureof the invention is better understood, I have produced a box fastenerembodying, generally stated, a shank having a spur or prong at one end,a loop at its other end, and a seal wire receiving opening at anintermediate point. Generally it will be preferred to have the fasteningmembers counterparts of each other, thus to reduce the cost ofproduction to the minimum and to facilitate installment of the parts.The members will be made of flexible metal to permit bending to desiredcontours, and non-resilient to eliminate danger of breakage or fracture.

Further and novel features of the inven tion will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application and inwhich like characters of reference indicate correspond ing parts :Figure1 is a view in perspective, partlv in section, displaying the manner ofapplying one form of the invention to position; Fig. 2 is a detail viewof the fastener shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of amodified form of the invention; Fig. 4 is a view in sectional elevationdisplaying the manner in which the fastener shown in Fig. 3 is applied.

Referring to the drawing, and to Figs. 1

and 2 thereof, C designates a portirn of the cover of a box and IV apart of one of its side walls, and as these parts may be of the and atits other end with a prong or spur 2,

the intermediate portion being twisted to form a shank 3 including aneye 4, the article, when supplied to the trade being fiat or straightexcept for the spur.

In positioning the fastener, prior to securing the cover to the'box, theformer is pro vided with an orifice c and the latter with an orifice w.The shanks of the two fasteners are now passed through the orifices fromthe outer side of the cover and of the box wall, and then bent to lieflat with the parts, after which the spurs are driven to their seats.The cover having been secured in place, the loop 1 on the cover is bentdown over the edge of the latter, and the loop of the fastener on thebox is passed through the downturned loop and then rebent, as shown inFig. 1, thus securing the two loops in interlocked relation. A seal wireS is now threaded through the eye of the fastener on the box and throughits downturned loop, and the ends of the wire are secured by an ordinaryleaden seal .9.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4:, thefastening members are constructed of sheet metal and are notcounterparts except that each is provided with an attaching spur 5 andthe manner of assembling the members with cover and box is the same asthat above described, namely, by the spurs and the openings 0 and 10.One of the members, in his instance, that secured to the cover isprovided with a loop in the nature of a head 6 having a transverse slot7 to receive the downturned end 8 of the other member, the end 8 beingprovided with an orifice 9 and the intermediate portion of the memberwith a pair of orifices 10, and through these orifices the sealing wireS is threaded and secured as described.

In both embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious that withoutdestroying one or the other of the fastening members, or severing theseal wire, it Will be impossible to remove the cover, so that theeffective sealing of the box is readilysecuredQ What is claimed is 1- vV 1. A box fastening member comprising in a*onepiece structure a shankhaving a spur at one end, a closed end loop at its other end forming anintegral continuation of the, shank anda seal-Wire recelvlng open-- ingat an intermediate point.

2. A box fastening member comprlsmg in a one-plece structure a twistedshank having a closed end loop atone end, a'spur at its other endforming an integral continuation of the shank and an intermediate sealWire receiving opening.

3. The combination with a box wall and its cover, each'provided withan'opening, of

fastening members having their shanks passed through the openings andsecured to the lnner surfaces of the parts, the outer 7 ends of themembers being interlocked, and

WALTER E. HUME.

Witnesses:

' D. J.NUGENT, Jr., W. W. BALLINGER.

Copies of this pattent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0;

